After a long career in the home improvement industry as a manufacturers rep, Frank (Bud) S. Howard III died last week.

Bud ran the Indianapolis-based Frank S. Howard Company after his dad Frank retired in 1968 until he retired in 1992. Bud called on accounts in the states of Indiana, Kentucky, and Southern Ohio for 35 plus years.

PulteGroup, Inc. has acquired the real estate assets of Dublin, Ohio-based Dominion Homes, a homebuilder with a significant presence in the Ohio and Kentucky markets.

The deal involves an initial acquisition of about 6,500 lots, with 1,600 additional lots slated for purchase within the next 45 days upon completion of additional due diligence. These lots are spread throughout 27 open communities in Columbus, 11 in Louisville and three in Lexington. The specific financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Lexington, Kentucky-based Tempur Sealy International has promoted Barry Hytinen to the title of EVP corporate development and finance.

"Barry's contributions to Tempur Sealy have been significant and broad reaching," said president and CEO Mark Sarvary. "In particular, his leadership was critical to all aspects of the transformative Sealy acquisition and integration. On behalf of the board of directors and our entire company, I am pleased to congratulate Barry on his well-deserved promotion."

Gibbs True Value Hardware in Grayson, Kentucky, was recognized by Chicago-based True Value Co. as one of 13 Best Hardware Store in Town honorees.

Accepting the award at a True Value hosted ceremony earlier this year were C.C. and Julie Gibbs.

The store was the first in the state of Kentucky to adopt the Destination True Value format. The store also offers niche categories, such as fireplaces, outdoor power equipment and a Just Ask Rental business.

Like most Americans, the editorial staff of HCN has been watching a lot of basketball lately. It’s all part of the national tradition known as March Madness, the 64-team single-elimination tournament designed to break your heart and bust your bracket.

Novi, Mich.-based BrassCraft Manufacturing, a Masco Company involved in the manufacture of plumbing products, has hired Roger Hernandez as territory sales manager for Ohio and Kentucky.

"We're delighted to have Roger on our team," said Ken Kemmerling, sales manager, Central Region. "We're confident that his depth of sales experience will greatly contribute to enhancing customer service and to growing our business in this territory."

HCN congratulates the 50 hardware store, home center and farm and ranch retailers who made the annual HCN Hardware Store All-Star list.

Now in its third year, HCN's annual list of high performers recognizes hardware stores -- one from each state -- that are outstanding in their field. The complete list and analysis can be found in the September issue of HCN. Meanwhile, HCN Daily will work its way across the country with mini profiles, continuing this week with Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia.

Brian Miller, executive VP of the Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky, will serve a two-year term starting in 2014 on the board of directors of the National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) Executive Officers Council, according to Cincinnati.com.

Georgia-Pacific and U.S. Lumber have announced they are entering a distribution agreement for engineered wood products (EWP).
The agreement, effective Nov. 1, 2013, provides for U.S. Lumber to distribute Georgia-Pacific engineered lumber in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, the panhandle of Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. Both companies are based in Atlanta.

Bart and Diana Tyler, proprieters of Kelloggs & Lawrence in Katonah, N.Y., and DeWayne Tripp, owner of Hinton (Okla.) Hardware joined an elite crowd in 2013: HCN Hardware Store All-Stars. Their stores made the list, along with 48 other worthy retailers, one from each state.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals today ordered that consumers in six states -- California, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota and Texas -- who allege that Sears sold them allegedly defective Kenmore front-loading "high efficiency" washing machines manufactured by Whirlpool may band together in a class action.

It takes a little more to be an all-star on the 2012 Home Channel News Hardware Store All-Star list. For the second year in a row, HCN has compiled a state-by-state list of high performers, innovative retailers and classic stores.

The alphabetical listing of Hardware Store All-Stars, one from each of the 50 U.S. states, continues below with Kansas, Kentucky and Louisiana:

Millwork Products LLC, a Paducah, Ky.-based firm, has opened a new location in Wilkesboro, N.C. and hired most of the former workers of a closed Jeld-Wen facility, according to an article in the Winston-Salem Journal.

One year ago it was just a set of blueprints, but Menards first location in Kentucky -- a megastore measuring more than 200,000 sq. ft. -- opened on May 1 in Owensboro, Ky., according to an article in the Messenger Inquirer.

Menards will be the first store to operate in the 67-acre Heartland Crossing shopping center. Designs for that $45 million development feature building pads for restaurants, banks, offices and a hotel.

One year ago it was just a set of blueprints, but Menards first location in Kentucky -- a megastore measuring more than 200,000 sq. ft. -- opened on May 1 in Owensboro, Ky., according to an article in the Messenger Inquirer.

Menards will be the first store to operate in the 67-acre Heartland Crossing shopping center. Designs for that $45 million development feature building pads for restaurants, banks, offices and a hotel.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky,), speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate on tornado relief efforts last month, singled out several lumberyards and home-improvement retailers for their assistance in the aftermath of last month’s tornados.

All too often, employees think that their texting is personal, according to Christine Walters, J.D., SPHR, a consultant with FiveL Co. in Westminster, Md. But texts can resurface in employment lawsuits, so employees and managers should be trained to keep all of their texts as professional as other communications.